Mahindra and Mahindra, a part of the $19-billion Mahindra Group, has now inked a licensing agreement with the Dewulf Group to manufacture and market potato planting equipment in India. Under the aegis of this agreement, Mahindra will work with the Dewulf Group to bring the latter’s potato planting technology to the Indian market.

Potato is the world’s fourth-largest food crop, and India is its second-largest producer. Each year, over two million hectare of potato is planted in India, yielding a production of about 40 million tonne.

With the ever-increasing focus towards the processing of potatoes, the demand for high-quality potatoes is expected to go up. This will require Indian farmers to use better machinery for potato planting.

The potato planter, co-branded Mahindra and Dewulf, will enable Indian potato farmers to perform even and precise planting, thereby leading to higher yields, reduction in cost and an improved quality of output. All this will lead to greater farm productivity, and subsequently, higher incomes for the farmers.

“We are delighted to announce a partnership with the Dewulf Group, a Belgium-based world-class manufacturer of agricultural machinery. Our licensing agreement with the Dewulf Group will allow us to bring the latest planting technology to potato farmers in India,” said Rajesh Jejurikar, president, farm equipment sector, Mahindra and Mahindra.

“We look forward to introducing our innovative products and technology to the world’s second-largest potato market and are excited to partner with Mahindra, India’s leading farm equipment manufacturer. With Mahindra as our partner, we hope that we will be able to transform potato farming techniques in India,” stated René Boeijenga, chief executive officer, Dewulf.